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Product Description

The new Tiki is the world's first USB microphone that mimics the intelligence of human hearing by focusing on desired sounds, minimizing background noise and knowing when to mute altogether. Tiki's two modes give any Skype user, podcaster or musician the versatility to quickly choose the best option in any situation. First, Intelligent Speech Mode brings your voice to the forefront of a conference call or chat while noise-canceling technology simultaneously minimizes unwanted, competing background noise. Natural Recording Mode captures a wide range of sources from vocals to acoustic guitar, recording high-fidelity audio with exceptional clarity. Tiki sets a new standard for crystal clear audio for wherever you go.

The Tiki mic mimics the intelligence of human hearing by focusing on desired sounds

The Tiki is compatible with any PC or Mac with an available USB 2.0+ port. View larger

Tiki Portable USB Microphone at a Glance:

Intelligent ultra-compact USB microphone

Brings your voice to the forefront using voice isolation and noise-canceling technology

Improves Vocal Clarity

The Tiki is an intelligent, ultra-compact USB microphone that improves vocal clarity for online communication like Skype and iChat, and other voice recognition software. It brings your voice to the forefront using voice isolation and noise-canceling technology, and eliminates computer fan and typing noise by intelligently auto-muting.

Intelligent Speech Mode applies noise reduction algorithms to reduce background noise, and softly mutes microphone when no speech is detected and quickly restores audio when you resume speaking, making you the clearest and least distracting participant in your chat or conference call.

Record Podcasts and Music

This mic can do more than just chat. Natural Recording Mode is a recording mode optimized for podcasts and music recording for quality demos and quick takes when you're on the road.

Natural Recording Mode applies subtle studio processing techniques to the recorded signal to maximize sound quality. It'll surprise you with great recordings from a small package.

Inner Workings

Tiki features two custom condenser capsules with advanced DSP for enhanced recording clarity, with a multi-colored LED that indicates muting status and mode. Tiki is capable of recording CD-quality, 16-bit audio at a 44.1k sampling rate.

Compatible with PC and Mac

The Tiki is compatible with any PC or Mac with an available USB 2.0+ port. Setup is plug-and-play, with no drivers or software to install.

I struggled with whether to rate this microphone 3 or 4 stars. It's certainly an improvement over the internal mics that come built in to a number of inexpensive PC's, but it's not quite up to par with some of the nicer podcasting microphones Blue and others manufacture.

There are essentially two modes for the Tiki, an "intelligent speech" mode that aggressively handles noise at the expense of audio quality, and a "natural recording" mode that dials back a lot of the noise filtering for a better sounding recording. It can be inserted directly into a USB port but also comes with an extension cable to allow the mic to be positioned closer to the speaker. I recommend using the extension cable at all times for better results.

The intelligent speech mode does a good job of filtering out excess noise for skype calls. But it really kills the richness of the audio. The natural recording mode sounds great, and gets even better when using the extension cable. It's on par with larger microphones but lacks the audio range you'll get out of a studio mic. The dual pickups are a neat feature and I could see it being useful for someone looking to record a one-on-one interview without the hassle of mixers and multiple microphones.

So who is this for? Anyone with a lousy mic on their PC should definitely consider the Tiki for voice over IP and skype conversations. I can also see it being useful for podcasters who don't always want to lug around a big microphone but want the ability to record an unexpected interview. Just don't expect this to become your primary recording tool.

The Tiki USB microphone offers so many cool features, including intelligent speech, intelligent mute and noise-canceling technology that I can't bring myself to grade the entire package on its lesser-than-hoped performance for podcasting.

I tested the Tiki USB microphone on three laptops. Blue, the company behind this snazzy little recording device, touts its portability and it measures up well. I read some other reviews before posting my own and noted that Mac owners are having trouble getting the USB connection to fit. No problem here. I carefully slid the Tiki into each laptop - HP, Toshiba, Dell - with no problems. Is it a tight fit? Yes, but if your MO is to jam things in and rip things out of your USB inputs...well, you get what you deserve.

The microphone did a good job providing noise-free communication with Skype. Again, if I used that more often, I'd be thrilled with this product. The Tiki also paired well with my Dragon NaturallySpeaking Premium 11.

However, I was fortunate enough to review the product for free as part of the Amazon Vine program. I wouldn't be happy paying about $50 if my intention was to use it for podcasting. I'd still recommend Blue though; try their Blue Microphones Snowball USB Microphone, which are only $15 more, instead. Be sure to pick up a pop filter as well to reduce the sharp P, S, and T sounds that can wreck a voice over.

I tested the Tiki against the internal microphone on a MacBook Pro 15" Early 2011, two Windows laptops, and also against a Blue Microphones Yeti desk microphone.

The Tiki's selling points are: * Quality: This is a high-quality microphone, better than most laptops have built-in. It's only a little bit better than the MacBook Pro built-in mic, though. * Noise reduction. If you have a noisy environment, it will help, maybe a lot. * Position: The USB cable lets you put the mic near your mouth. This helps a lot. * Compactness: Easy to pack when traveling.

Before starting the review, here are some recording tips that will improve your results no matter what microphone you use: First, reduce background noise. Next, position the microphone near your mouth. Third, avoid touching the microphone cable or the surface it rests on so you don't create more noise.

Here are the results of my evaluation:

TRAVELING:This is the best application for the Tiki. If you use Skype or any other voice application while traveling, you will get better results with the Yeti. The noise cancellation will help improve the recorded audio in areas where you have no control over the noise, and the compact design is perfect for packing. People I talked to noticed a clear difference with the Tiki when background noise was present. And whenever you can position the Tiki closer to your mouth using the cable, you will get far better results than with any built-in microphone.Read more ›